As teams compete for the World Cup across North America, football fan can show some spirit at New York’s leading museum of American art.
The office of New York City Zohran Mamdani announced this week that New Yorkers who present their own World Cup-inspired poster to the Whitney will receive free admission (from July 11 through the end of the month). Rich Tu, the artist who created FIFA’s official poster for the New York and New Jersey chapter of the competition, designed the project. Interested parties can find a digital leaflet—available in English and Spanish—on the Whitney’s website.
The leaflet includes a blank canvas for the design, and loose instructions to convey “a powerful message“ that responds to the prompt “where the world comes to play.” Tu provides guidelines for the aspirational artists, such as framing a single, striking image with an eye-catching headline and smaller, contextual print.
“When I’m making a poster, the first thing that I think about is, what’s the purpose,” Tu writes on the website. “What is the visual language I want to bring to the table?”
The project, co-organized by the Mayor’s Office, the New York–New Jersey Host Committee, and the Whitney, follows the citywide Knicks fever that culminated in the team’s first NBA championship in 35 years. As more than a million people flooded downtown Manhattan for the Knicks’ ticker-tape parade last week, it’s safe to say New York’s sporting spirit is high.
“This partnership with the Whitney helps ensure that the excitement of the World Cup belongs to all of us, putting art and access at the heart of this historic summer,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“The World Cup is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring New Yorkers together,” he continued. “We want every New Yorker to be part of this moment — not just in the stadium, but in their neighborhoods, their schools, and the public spaces that make New York the greatest city on earth.”
